1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for transferring a job from an image forming apparatus to another image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
After an information processing apparatus as a print client has transmitted print data to an image forming apparatus, there are cases in which it is desired to transfer that transmitted print data to a different image forming apparatus for some reason. An example of a document regarding such printing by transfer includes Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-165773.
In this document, after a user has carried out a process for transmitting the print data from an information processing apparatus to a first image forming apparatus, the user selects a corresponding job from a spooler of the first image forming apparatus and drags that job onto the icon of a second image forming apparatus.
Utility software of the information processing apparatus compares the attribute information of the print job and the attribute information of the second image forming apparatus, so as to determine whether the job dragged by the user can be output with the second image forming apparatus. In the case where the job cannot be printed at the drag destination, the second image forming apparatus, the icon thereof is put into a grey-out state so as to notify the user of the fact that the second image forming apparatus is unusable. In this manner, the user can easily retrieve an alternative image forming apparatus that can perform printing.
In the re-transfer as described above, in the case where no image forming apparatus is present on the same network that has at least equivalent functions to those of the first image forming apparatus, the user cannot utilize such printing by transfer.